Achillea plant named &#39;Wonderful Wampee&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of  Achillea millefolium,  ‘Wonderful Wampee’, characterized by it long blooming habit, its vigorous growth habit, its compact growth habit and its bright clear pink flowers that fade to a light pink with consistent bloom color throughout the plant.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Achillea millefolium

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Wonderful Wampee’

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application is co-pending with U.S. Plant Patent application filedfor a plant derived from the same breeding program entitled AchilleaPlant Named ‘Apricot Delight’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Achilleaplant, botanically known as Achillea millefolium ‘Wonderful Wampee’ andwill be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘WonderfulWampee’. The new cultivar of Achillea is an herbaceous perennial grownfor landscape use.

‘Wonderful Wampee’ was derived from a breeding program that focused onobtaining Achillea cultivars with a long blooming habit and flowercolors that are resistant to fading. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ was selected inthe summer of 2001 as a whole plant mutation that arose from repeatedselections from seed originally sown of the seed strain Achillea ‘SummerPastels’ (not patented) in Boskoop, The Netherlands.

‘Wonderful Wampee’ was selected as unique primarily for its sturdystems, its compact plant habit and its clear pink flowers. ‘SummerPastels’, the parent strain, produces plants with variable plant habitsand flowers with variable colors and color-fastness. ‘Wonderful Wampee’differs from its closest comparison cultivar based on flower color,Achillea millefolium ‘Appleblossom’ (not patented), in having a morecompact plant habit. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is more densely foliaged, hasshorter stem internodes, and is shorter in height than ‘Appleblossom’.‘Wonderful Wampee’ is similar in bloom period and plant habit to‘Apricot Delight’ from the same breeding program, however ‘ApricotDelight’ has salmon pink flowers and is slightly shorter.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by basalcuttings in under the direction of the inventor in Lancaster,Pennsylvania in September of 2002. The characteristics of this cultivarhave been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the characteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes incombination distinguish ‘Wonderful Wampee’ as unique from and all othervarieties of Achillea known to the inventor.

-   -   1. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is long blooming, blooming for about five        weeks, typically from late June through July in Lancaster, Pa.    -   2. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ has clear pink flowers that are consistent        in color and fade to a light pink.    -   3. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is densely foliated with thick dark green        foliage on short internodes resulting in a compact plant habit.    -   4. ‘Wonderful Wampee’ has a vigorous growth habit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceand distinct characteristics of the new Achillea. The photographsrepresent two year-old plants as field grown in Lancaster, Pa. FIG. 1 isa photograph of a group of ‘Wonderful Wampee’ in bloom and shows theconsistent and compact plant habit. FIG. 2 is a photograph of a singleplant of ‘Wonderful Wampee’. The photograph in FIG. 3 shows theprogression of flower color with the newly opened flowers on the leftand more mature flowers towards the right. The colors in the photographsare as close as possible with the photographic and printing technologyutilized. The color values cited in the detailed botanical descriptionaccurately describe the colors of the new Achillea.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new cultivar as grownoutdoors in for 12 weeks from a liner. The descriptions are based onobservations over a period of two years in Lancaster, Pa. The phenotypeof the new cultivar may vary with variations in environmental, climatic,and cultural conditions, as it has not been tested under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The color determination is in accordance withthe 2001 RHS Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

-   Botanical classification: ‘Wonderful Wampee’ is a cultivar of    Achillea millefolium.-   Parentage: Selection from Achillea millefolium ‘Summer Pastels’    (seed strain).-   General description:    -   -   Blooming period.—Blooms for about 5 weeks, typically from            late June through July in Lancaster, Pa.        -   Plant habit.—Herbaceous perennial, upright, mounded habit,            strong flowering stems emerge from a basal rosette of            foliage.        -   Height and spread.—Matures to about 38 cm in height and            about 58 cm in width.        -   Hardiness.—U.S.D.A. Zones 4 to 8.        -   Culture.—Tolerant to a wide range of growing conditions,            growing best in full sun to in well-drained, moderately            fertile soils.        -   Diseases and pests.—No susceptibility or resistance to            diseases or pests common to Achillea millefolium has been            observed for ‘Wonderful Wampee’.        -   Root description.—Fibrous.-   Growth and propagation:    -   -   Propagation.—Basal stem cuttings.        -   Root initiation.—Basal stem cuttings 8 cm in length dipped            in 1000 ppm IBA and placed under mist root in about 10 days            in a greenhouse kept at about 70° F. without supplemental            lighting in spring and summer.        -   Time required for root development.—Rooted cuttings fully            develop a 72-cell in about 4 weeks at 70° F. under mist,            cells fully develop and flower in a six inch container in            about 12 to 13 weeks when grown outdoors under natural            lighting or when grown in a greenhouse at 68° F. without            supplemental lighting and a constant liquid feed of 150 ppm            N.        -   Vernalization.—Not required, vernalized plants flower about            3 weeks sooner but unvernalized plants had better branching            with more flowers.        -   Crop maintenance.—Plants can be cut back after the initial            flush of flowers and rebloom occurs in about 4 weeks.        -   Growth rate.—Vigorous.-   Stem description:    -   -   Shape.—Round, solid.        -   Stem color.—144B, vertical ridges 144A to 144B.        -   Stem size.—About 3 to 5 mm in diameter, main branch about 50            to 60 cm in length.        -   Stem surface.—Glabrous with fine white hairs and numerous            vertical ridges.        -   Branching habit.—Main branches emerge from tuft of basal            foliage, typically 2 secondary branches emerge from nodes            near apex, secondary branches about 10 to 11 cm in length,            about 2 mm in diameter, smaller flowering branches emerge            from lower nodes after terminal flower heads open.        -   Internode length.—About 5 to 7 cm on the basal region of            flowering stem to 1.5 to 3 cm on distal portion of stem.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Leaf division.—Simple, deeply dissected.        -   Leaf shape.—Primarily lanceolate, occasionally oblanceolate.        -   Leaf base.—Blunt.        -   Leaf apex.—Acute.        -   Leaf margin.—Dissected.        -   Leaf venation,—Only midrib is visible, similar to leaf color            or lighter 144C to 144D.        -   Leaf attachment.—Sessile, clasping.        -   Leaf arrangement.—Basal foliage and irregularly opposite on            flowering stems.        -   Leaf surface.—Glabrous, upper and lower surfaces.        -   Leaf color.—Newly emerged basal foliage; upper and lower            surfaces 144C, mature and emerging flowering stem foliage;            upper and lower surfaces 137A.        -   Leaf size.—Up to 24 cm in length, up to 5 cm in width,            parted segments are up to 3 cm in length and 1 cm in width.        -   Foliage fragrance.—None detected.-   Flower description:-   General description:    -   -   Type.—Compound corymb composed of numerous, capitulate,            heterogamous with ray florets around the head margin and            disk florets in the center, forming a radiant head.        -   Lastingness of inflorescence.—About 7 to 10 days until            senescence of ray flowers. Bracts and disk flowers are            persistent.        -   Fragrance.—None detected.        -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Free flowering, about 80            inflorescences (heads) on terminal corymb with about 20 to            40 florets on side corymbs, up to about 200 flowers per            flowering stem.        -   Cormb size.—Average of 8 cm in width and 6 cm in height for            terminal corymbs, average of 4.5 cm in width and height for            side corymbs.        -   Inflorescence buds.—About 4 mm in height and 2 mm in            diameter, shape is ovate, color 139C with colored apex            emerging 155B, changing to 155B tips with tips of buds N74C.        -   Inflorescence color.—Overall color changes as ray flower            color changes; general appearance changes from red-purple            (N74 C to N74D) to light purple (77C) to pale pink (69D).            Overall effect in full bloom is light pink.        -   Inflorescence size.—About 8 mm in width and height.        -   Peduncle.—About 1 to 4 cm in length and 2 mm in diameter,            144A in color, texture is glabrous.        -   Pedicel.—About 5 to 7 mm in length and 1 mm in diameter,            144B in color, texture is glabrous.        -   Receptacle.—Not distinct, small, chaffy, 144A in color.        -   Involucral bracts.—Composed of a series of overlapping            bracts, collectively 144B in color and form a cup            (calyx-like) about 3 cm in width and 4 cm in height,            individual bracts; about 3 mm in length, 1 mm in width,            membranous, lanceolate in shape, acute apex, blunt base.-   Ray florets (female):    -   -   Number.—6.        -   Shape.—Orbicular portion on tube enclosing pistil.        -   Aspect.—Held flat, recessed ridges run the length of the            orbicular portion from the notches.        -   Size.—6 mm in length and 3 mm width, showy, orbicular            portion is 3 mm in length and width, tube portion is 3 mm in            length and 0.4 mm in width.        -   Petal apex.—Emarginate with 2 notches (tulip-like).        -   Petal base.—Rounded.        -   Petal margins.—Entire, notched at apex.        -   Petal texture.—Glabrous.        -   Color.—Upper and lower surfaces of petal: tube portion is            144B throughout development and not visible, showy orbicular            portion changes from red-purple (N74) to light purple (77C)            to pale pink (69D) as the flowers mature.-   Disk flowers (bisexual):    -   -   Quantity.—About 20, densely packed in center of            inflorescence.        -   Shape.—Tubular, corolla is fused, flared at apex.        -   Size.—About 3 mm in length and up to 1 mm in width (flare).        -   Color.—Base (tube) is 144B in color, flared portion is            translucent effectively 8D (yellow) in mass, effective color            fades to 155C as ray flowers fade to light pink.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Presence.—Disk flowers are perfect, ray flowers are            carpellate or sterile.        -   Gynoecium.—1 Pistil, bifid stigma, light yellow in color            (155B), extends just beyond the flare of disk flowers and            emerges at the junction of the tube and showy portion of the            petal of the ray flower. Ovary is 1 mm in length, 0.5 mm in            width, placement is inferior, translucent in color.        -   Androcoecium.—5 stamens, fused into tube surrounding style,            2 mm in length and 0.5 mm in width, translucent, pollen is            sparse in abundance or hard to visualize and 15D in color.        -   Fruit and seed.—Fruit and seed set has not observed under            the conditions tested.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Achillea plant named ‘WonderfulWampee’ as herein illustrated and described.